Page 3 - MergedFile

Children in Wales Annual Conference 2018.

The Whole Child: The importance of getting it right

Health and Attainment of Pupils in a Primary Education Network

(HAPPEN)

Exploring the well-being of children aged 9-11

Background

HAPPEN is a network of health, education and research

professionals aimed at improving the health, well-being

and attainment of primary school children (www.happen-
wales.co.uk). Through HAPPEN, data is collected on the

well-being of children aged 9-11 and fed back to schools.

Schools are then given information on health and well-

being initiatives that can help in addressing identified
needs.

What we did

Well-being data is collected as part of CHAT (Child
Health and Activity Tool). Children rate their satisfaction

with different aspects of life, complete a validated

mental health questionnaire and comment on what they

would change in their area to improve their health and
well-being. Data collected has been used to evaluate

Outdoor Learning and Daily Mile Initiatives.

What we found

A number of well-being interventions are currently
delivered sporadically across primary schools, with large

variation in implementation and limited guidance. Our

current evaluation of a schools based outdoor learning
programme highlights a potential avenue for improving

child well-being. Children have suggested that increasing

and improving parks and sports facilities, cleaner streets

and safer roads would help improve their well-being.

How can our research help you

HAPPEN has engaged with over 5000 pupils and over 50 health and well-being organisations. The data

generated from HAPPEN has brought schools and health and well-being organisations closer together in

improving child health and well-being. Data collection will continue over the next two years, expanding to

more areas of Wales and recruiting more partners. More research will also be undertaken to understand what

makes children happy and what could be done by schools, organisations and the wider community to improve

the well-being of children living in Wales. Find out more at: www.happen-wales.co.uk or email Charlotte Todd

C.E.Todd@Swansea.ac.uk

NCPHWR is funded by

The National Centre for Population Health & Wellbeing Research

www.ncphwr.org.uk